Changes...

... oh, where to start! Here are the highlights:

1. I went back to work. I am managing a bank here in my hometown 3 miles away.

2. Adelyn started a new preschool for their speech program. She went from 3 days a week with 8 other children to 5 days a week with 19 other children.

3. We hired an in-house caregiver to watch Ella Bella and Adelyn while I work. She has been WONDERFUL!

4. Andrew is leaving his employer to go work for a competitor beginning in May.

5. We put our house on the market in anticipation of Andrew leaving his employer... but the good news is that something else worked out so it's not mandatory for us to move now. I'll keep you updated on that one. :)

6. Ella turned 2! We had a lollipop party for our sweet toddler here at the house in January. (Pictures to come!)

7. I turned the big 3-0! Andrew surprised me with a night out with a limo, fancy dinner and dancing with friends!

8. Adelyn turned 4! We had a "rock star" party with Babaloo (Remember THIS?!) last weekend at our house. (Pictures to come!)

I'm sure there are TONS more to share during the 2+ month hiatus but that's where I'll start.

Now that things are starting to level off here (knock on wood!), I'll have more opportunities to write and share pictures.

A New Start in 2010!

I totally deserve an F if I were being graded on my blogging skills. I couldn't even begin to tell you everything we've been involved with since I posted last... but I'll sure try.

The holidays were awesome and my girls got away like bandits on Christmas morning.... not to mention the amazing number of gifts they received from their grandparents and aunts and uncles who spoil them to death! The Disney princesses are still very popular in our house (if not more popular than ever before!) and Elmo showed up on Ella's wish list a few times, too. The big gift was the indoor musical trampoline which is still a big hit. It's a favorite of mine, too, since the girls can use it to get some energy out on these super cold, winter days indoors.

We definitely took advantage of what the season has to offer with Christmas playdates, a neighborhood children's party at a local pottery shop, traveling to see our families in southern Missouri and Illinois, putting lights up on our house, viewing other light displays, a visit to Santa's village to see his reindeer, a visit to the STL Zoo to have breakfast with Santa, a Christmas concert at Adelyn's preschool, listening to Christmas music while putting up ornaments (and taking them down), pretend ice skating, Christmas cookie decorating, wish list making, etc. I'm sure I'm missing something.

It was so neat to watch both of the girls take in the holidays. Adelyn has reached an age that allows her to really capture the Christmas spirit for the first time. On Christmas Eve, we all set out cookies and milk for Santa, sprinkled reindeer food (oatmeal and glitter) out on the lawn, and then read The Night Before Christmas. Adelyn was just too excited to go to bed... and I'm sure that the fact that it snowed on Christmas Eve made it even more exciting. She made repeat trips to the tree to see if Santa had visited yet. The last of those repeat trips was at 12 am after Mommy had already set out the filled stockings. Phfew..... talk about a close call! We were moments away from some serious questioning by a 3 yr old... and a couple more away from some serious story-telling by a nervous mommy! :)

So... unfortunately, in the midst of all of the sweet moments we shared during the holiday season, we had to experience loss, too. Both of Andrew's grandparents as well as my 93 yr old grandma all passed away in the matter of a month. It was a tough time for us to have to deal with all of that in such a short span of time not to mention how difficult it was to answer a 3 yr old's questions about life and death. But we are blessed to have such a strong family unit to support each other through the loss and see through the sadness.

With that said, we are looking forward to moving on in 2010. I'm so excited to see how both of my girls develop this year and to witness all of the sweet moments they share together. Ella Bella is turning 2 this weekend and we are having a "lollipop" party to honor her oodles of sweetness. :) I will definitely share pictures soon.

Hope your holidays were wonderful and 2010 has already been good to you. We love you!

Handy Daddy Strikes Again

I don't mean to brag here... BUT come on. This guys needs some recognition. He has some serious talent and when put to good use (AKA mommy/daughter projects- LOL), it's amazing what he can accomplish! :) Andrew finished the playroom he built a few months ago with a workstation complete with custom desk, flat screen TV monitor and wireless computer set-up that the girls can't touch (except for the wireless keyboard and mouse that is.) Adelyn is a wiz at the computer (hmmm.... wonder where she gets that from??!) and absolutely loves to navigate to her favorite Nick Jr. websites. Ella of course is a little young to take full advantage but she will grow into it soon.

Hope the girls get some of that talent! :)

Grandpa Oney Will Be Missed!

Andrew comes from wonderful roots. Here's an article written about his Grandpa who recently passed away. He was a wonderful businessman and father.

http://www.pekintimes.com/news/x441565120/Havana-loses-grocery-store-founder-and-friend

I will be posting pictures soon of our Christmas party with the neighborhood kids at Pottery Hollow. Hope you're keeping warm this holiday season!

Our Exploration to Meet Dora

So Dora was scheduled to make an appearance at a local mall last weekend and I couldn't pass it up even though Adelyn wasn't quite 100% after the flu. Little did I know that it would be about a 2 HOUR WAIT for a very brief meeting with Dora and her sidekick, Boots.

Adelyn and Ella had stars in their eyes when they first saw Dora but by the time we had lunch, shopped around a little, found some Dora cookies, and took advantage of some face painting at the mall, the girls had very little interest in taking an actual picture with Dora. I tried to pry them off my hips so they could take a picture with her by themselves (I did not want to be in the picture with my no make-up mommy look in full force)... but no such luck. :) Thank goodness Dora didn't talk. After 2 hours of waiting for a picture of me with Dora, the last thing I wanted to hear was, "Say it WITH ME.... LOUDER!!" *cringe*

Hope you enjoy the pictures from our day.

Congrats Grandma June & Grandpa Scott!

We traveled up to Springfield a couple weeks ago to attend a luncheon honoring Grandma June for Illinois School Nurse of the Year. Grandpa Scott also received an appreciation award for doing some financial work for the association. We were so proud! :)




Sidenote: Ella was getting tickled by Grandpa's scruffy beard... she loves him so much! Another picture is of Ella playing with her Aunt Barb and cousin Erin at the luncheon table. Thank goodness they were there to help distract! LOL Oh, and doesn't Adelyn look like her daddy in this picture??

Fabulous Fall Fest

So we attended a playdate this week with a festive Fall theme and I was blown away with the preparation this mommy made to ensure a great time by all of the kiddos. There were pumpkin cookies, home-made apple cider, a do-it-yourself turkey cupcake (picture), outside fun time, etc. And the crafts were amazing!! The picture above really doesn't do it justice... I wish I hadn't forgotten my camera at the play-date but I can promise that everything was wonderfully and festively fall! I even asked the mommy who painted the mural on her daughter's bedroom wall and big surprise- she did! Oh, and not only was she rediculously organized and creative... she was sweet, too.

On the same note, we also attended a "Curious George" birthday playdate last week where the girls could "monkey around" with friends, enjoy the gorgeous weather outside, hit a monkey pinata, have monkey cupcakes, and play lots of monkey games. It also came complete with a "Curious George" CD with a unique selection of kid-friendly tunes. Geesh... definitely raises the bar for my playdates. LOL If you're reading this, Jessica... thanks again for a great time!

In light of the season, we are definitely "thankful" for new friends!

Marley & Me

Marley is a very popular name in our house. It started when Adelyn attended VBS this past summer and met a sweet girl there named Marley. Ever since, Adelyn has wanted to name everything Marley. For instance, when we went to Build-A-Bear in Branson over the summer, Adelyn excitedly named her new bear Marley. So you can imagine then that it was only natural for her to name her new Beta fish Marley. I asked Adelyn what she thought Ella would like Marley's middle name to be and she thought that Nemo Dorie was only appropriate since they both love that movie. :)

Here are a few pictures from our day looking for our new fish, Marley Nemo Dorie. I still smile every time I see these pictures of Adelyn & Ella "shopping" together.

Halloween 2009

Here they are.... our little octopus and mermaid. I have TONS of pictures from our night trick-or-treating but will have to leave it to a couple right now. Too hard to pick my favorites. But if you're wanting more, just e-mail me and I can send you a link to my Facebook page where I've uploaded a few there.

The girls had a great time... we went over to a neighbor's house for chili and then went trick-or-treating in Grandma's neighborhood. Adelyn especially liked to dress up in her pajamas at school in honor of Halloween and she also loved to wear sparkly make-up and have her hair curled to look like "mermaid waves." Ella loved that I allowed her to eat CANDY!

Here's a pic of the girls before carving the pumpkin. I think they might love Fall time festivities as much as I do!

My Lil' Caterpillars

Adelyn: "Mommy, I don't want my pet caterpillar to turn into a butterfly." *sniff sniff*

Mommy: "But, sweetie, he has to. All caterpillars turn into butterflies... just like all babies turn into big girls."

Adelyn: "Why, Mommy? I want my caterpillar to stay a caterpillar. It's so fuzzy and cute."

Mommy: "But aren't you excited to see what he looks like as a butterfly... and see him fly??"

Adelyn: "No! Where is he going to fly to?"

Mommy: "Well... hmmmm... he needs to go away to butterfly college and go to butterfly work and then meet a butterfly friend and marry the butterfly friend and then have caterpillar babies.... and then..." *my face starts to look sad as the words come out*

Adelyn: "Mommy... why are you sad?"

Mommy: "Maybe I don't want the caterpillar to turn into a butterfly."

Adelyn: "It's o.k., Mommy. The caterpillar wants to be a butterfly so he can fly."

Mommy: "I know, I know. You're right."

I couldn't make this stuff up! :)

In honor of this post, here's a picture of my little caterpillar and butterfly last Halloween. New Halloween pictures will come soon... I promise!

Oney Monster Mash!

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Wish I could fit our dog, Shelby, in the video, too! :)

Boo @ The Zoo

We made our annual trip to the local Boo at the Zoo. It was an opportunity for the girls to get dressed up for the first time this year. I can't say much for the event myself since there weren't many animals to see... but the girls still enjoyed the spooky decorations on a gorgeous Fall night.

Here are a couple pictures of our octopus and mermaid...

our sea animal and sea princess. For the record, they are both princesses... Ella just fit in her sister's old costume. Besides, doesn't she make for an adorable pink octopus?! :)